Dolly Parton Surprises Fans by Releasing Six Albums Digitally

The music icon's loyal listeners now have online access to nearly 100 songs on half a dozen albums from Parton's beloved catalog. Better Day,For God and Country, Halos and Horns,Little Sparrow, Live and Well and Those Were the Days are available on all streaming platforms immediately.

The six projects were released across a decade in the early 2000s, beginning with Little Sparrow in 2001 and ending with Better Day in 2011. Live and Well is the only live album, recorded during her 2003 Halos and Thorns Tour, while the rest are studio projects that feature a variety of cover songs including Collective Soul's "Shine," which scored Parton a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2002, Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Me and Bobby McGee" a hit for Janis Joplin that was penned by Kris Kristofferson. Parton's own "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" — from her 1977 installment New Harvest...First Gathering — appears on For God and Country.

"Surprise! 93 of your favorite classics are finally available again online! I hope these songs bring some light into your life during these hard times," Parton writes on Twitter in sharing the news, meant to bring happiness to her fans during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Parton has been a familiar face during times of social distancing, launching a read-aloud series called "Goodnight With Dolly" where she reads her favorite children's books to young fans. The megastar also recently donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to aid in research for a cure for COVID-19.